Chapter Summary: The Shame of the NationPut Chapter Name Here
Chapter Summary
The division between rich and poor students is widening. The application process to the good schools in cities such as New York is so difficult that most underprivileged students cannot get in. While rich parents can hire interview coaches and pay for IQ tests, poor parents will not be able to afford these things, and most do not even know about them. The process starts in preschool and kindergarten, and those who do not start at a good school that early will have a difficult time getting into the better high schools. The lines never blend in New York and it is almost as if there are two societies: rich and poor. If you start at a low school, you will end at a low school. Students in the poorer schools have gigantic class sizes, unsuitable facilities, and no chance to get out. Most students don't know about the better high schools. At some of the worse schools, students are not focused on academics but the business world or technical skills. It seems as if the schools know they won't get into college so prepare them for the workforce instead. These schools have awful graduation rates while the richer schools in the same area graduate almost all of their students. Efforts to integrate the poor minority students into the richer suburban communities were strongly fought by parents in the richer districts. It seems the schools will never integrate and the lines will harden further.
1. What is the significance of the chapter's title?
"A Hardening of Lines" refers to the dividing line between poor and rich schools. The discrepancy between rich school and poor schools has grown more and more, so as David Dinkins, former mayor of New York says, "New York is a 'tale of two cities'."
2. What historical events, terms, ideas, or concepts are mentioned in this chapter that you feel you need to understand more clearly in order to fully appreciate the text?
3. What questions does this chapter lead you to ask about public schools in Rhode Island?
Is Providence school district, or any of the other bigger school districts, as fiercely segregated as the schools in New York City?
Are there certain prestigious elementary schools in Rhode Island that will get you into better high schools?
4. What questions does this chapter make you ask about current trends, issues, and or reform strategies that are happening currently in American public schools?
5. If we could ask Rhode Island teachers some questions about school conditions, what might we ask them based on this chapter?
6. If we could ask Rhode Island students some questions about school conditions, what might we ask them based on this chapter?
Chapter Summary
The division between rich and poor students is widening. The application process to the good schools in cities such as New York is so difficult that most underprivileged students cannot get in. While rich parents can hire interview coaches and pay for IQ tests, poor parents will not be able to afford these things, and most do not even know about them. The process starts in preschool and kindergarten, and those who do not start at a good school that early will have a difficult time getting into the better high schools. The lines never blend in New York and it is almost as if there are two societies: rich and poor. If you start at a low school, you will end at a low school. Students in the poorer schools have gigantic class sizes, unsuitable facilities, and no chance to get out. Most students don't know about the better high schools. At some of the worse schools, students are not focused on academics but the business world or technical skills. It seems as if the schools know they won't get into college so prepare them for the workforce instead. These schools have awful graduation rates while the richer schools in the same area graduate almost all of their students. Efforts to integrate the poor minority students into the richer suburban communities were strongly fought by parents in the richer districts. It seems the schools will never integrate and the lines will harden further.1. What is the significance of the chapter's title?
"A Hardening of Lines" refers to the dividing line between poor and rich schools. The discrepancy between rich school and poor schools has grown more and more, so as David Dinkins, former mayor of New York says, "New York is a 'tale of two cities'."2. What historical events, terms, ideas, or concepts are mentioned in this chapter that you feel you need to understand more clearly in order to fully appreciate the text?
3. What questions does this chapter lead you to ask about public schools in Rhode Island?
4. What questions does this chapter make you ask about current trends, issues, and or reform strategies that are happening currently in American public schools?
5. If we could ask Rhode Island teachers some questions about school conditions, what might we ask them based on this chapter?
6. If we could ask Rhode Island students some questions about school conditions, what might we ask them based on this chapter?